Thursday, November 18, 2010

Details: I've previously blogged a mosaic by Eric Harshbarger depicting the Mona Lisa. This particular one focuses on the face (this simplifying the image a little bit) but also brings out more detail by using a wider color palette (10 colors instead of the classic 6) and the more high-resolution studs-up technique. LEGO mosaics can be built studs-out (with the LEGO logo on the top of the parts facing you when you view the image) or studs-up (with bricks and plates stacked on top of each other so you see the side of the parts when you view the image), and the two approaches result in very different images. The studs-out approach allows you to treat LEGO parts as if they were square, making a 1x1 brick pretty similar to a pixel on your computer screen. The studs-up approach forces the builder (or computer program, more often than not) to account for the 5:6 ratio in LEGO brick width to brick height, or a 5:2 ratio in plate width to plate height. A studs-up mosaic using plates can get a resolution 2.5 times better in one direction than a studs-out mosaic can - but in the other direction, you're still limited to the width of 1 LEGO stud as the smallest measurement you can show. The end result is that this is almost as close as you can get to photo-realism in LEGO bricks (you could still get slightly more precise by combining this technique with studs-not-on-top techniques to change the direction of the plates, and thus change which direction has higher resolution - but that will drive all but the most seasoned LEGO professionals insane).

LinkShare

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. The official website of the LEGO Group can be found at LEGO.com. LEGO®, along with most part names and product line names, is a registered trademark of the The LEGO Group.

The copyrights on all models, designs, and photos shown belong to the individuals or groups that created them. This blog's use of existing LEGO®-related content falls under the legal concept of fair use.